How Did I Get Here?
So, how exactly did I get here? One minute I am hosting parties in my 40s thinking I basically invented adulthood, and the next I am 64, googling what a peptide even does, wondering when reading glasses became a personality trait. Nobody hands you a manual for this. You just wake up one day fully in it.
If I am being honest, 60 hit different than I expected. I did not see it coming at the time, but looking back, I think I quietly slid into a funk the year I turned 60 and did not even clock it for what it was.
Some of that was just the number itself. But a lot of it was math I could not stop doing in my head. My mom died at 61. My dad died at 57. So turning 60, then 61, then 62, meant I was outliving both of my parents, one year at a time. That is a strange thing to sit with, watching birthdays turn into a milestone neither of them got to see.
It took me a few years to actually feel like I had the hang of my 60s, mentally and physically, instead of just surviving them. I am there now, mostly, and this is the place I am going to talk about how I got there, badly lit selfies and all.
I live in the land of cosmetic surgery centers, day spas, and what I like to call medicinal beauty. Boca Raton has more lotions, potions, and procedures per square mile than almost anywhere in the country. So let me get this out of the way first: I have not had Botox, injectables, or cosmetic surgery. Yet. My day may come and I will embrace it with pink sparkle and pizazz!
Which brings me to why I am starting Sooo60ish with this exact topic.
Aging is everywhere right now. You cannot scroll YouTube, open a streaming app, or click a website without a documentary, an ad, or a fifteen minute deep dive on longevity, supplements, or somebody’s skincare routine. It is unavoidable, and honestly, it is about time. Midlife and beyond is everywhere! So this felt like the obvious place to start.
Welcome to Sooo60ish.
I started #SoooBoca™ back in 2018 as a way to showcase my beautiful town of Boca Raton, and I still do that. But as I have moved through my own chapters, I have noticed my followers, and plenty of new ones, are pivoting and moving right along with me. Sooo, I thought this was the perfect time to add this component.
A place where I can still share things to do, places to go, and the products, hacks, and tips that actually help with navigating this 60th season and beyond, from travel to housing to beauty and fashion. This is just a continuation of #SoooBoca™, a little more grown up.
Pro-Aging vs. Anti-Aging
Jamie Lee Curtis has been saying this louder than anyone in Hollywood, and I love her for it. In a recent Instagram post, she shows up completely makeup-free, unfiltered, at home. No glam, no filter, just her. She has talked openly about wanting to age with intelligence, grace, and energy instead of hiding from it, and she has been just as honest that she has tried Botox before and did not love the result on herself.
That is the whole point. Pro-aging is not one lane.
Some of you are going to walk into a med spa this year and get exactly what you want done, with your eyes wide open and zero shame attached. Others are going to look at that same menu and say you are done with this crap, and that is just as valid.
Either lane works if it works for you. The only wrong answer is doing it, or not doing it, because someone else made you feel like you had to.
In the meantime, my skincare routine is doing plenty of heavy lifting on its own. My current rotation includes this peptide wrinkle cream, a Vitamin C and argan oil combo, and yes, a dermaplaner I genuinely reach for. On the makeup side, Laura Geller has been my go-to for years, since her products are made with mature skin in mind instead of fighting against it.
The Mindset Shift
Here is the truth nobody tells you at 60ish. Worrying about everyone else but yourself is not a good look, baby. Not for your face, not for your marriage, not for your friendships. Mind, body, and soul need a real review at this stage, not a once a year New Year’s resolution that dies by February.
The Non-Negotiables
Pro-aging also means doing the unglamorous stuff. Get the mammogram. Get to the dermatologist.
See cardiology, internal medicine, your gynecologist. Get the blood work and the urine test done, even if your insurance is not the gold plan you wish you had. I say this as someone with Medicare on the horizon in the next seven months. I have had good health insurance policies and not so good ones but I do try to get these main ones checked annually.
Move Your Body, Your Way
Pro-aging is not your college workout routine. It is whatever actually works for your body now. Pilates, yoga, swimming (wildly underrated), a glider for cardio, or a kitchen counter routine you found on a whim last year that tones you without wrecking you for three days. If a workout leaves you miserable the next day, it is the wrong workout. Find the version that lets you feel good and show up for your life.
Two things that quietly support all of it for me: Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides in my coffee most mornings, and real shoes that actually support my feet, which is why I partner with Wanderwell. On recovery days, my shiatsu foot massager earns its keep.
And do not skip the quiet stuff. A few minutes of meditation or prayer to open or close your day can do more for how you age than any serum on the shelf.
Build Your Own Table
Can we talk about friendships for a second? Real talk, stop trying to fit in with people who make you feel like the fringe friend. You know the ones. Surface level, cliquey, exhausting.
Nothing ages you faster than a draining frenemy. I went through this myself a few years ago, convinced we were close, and found out the hard way we were not. Well, alrighty then.
So build your own table. Yes, you might have to be the one who invites and plans. That is fine. Surround yourself with your people, not some uncomfortable version of what you think friendship is supposed to look like.
Life Happens
Pro-aging also means being honest about the seasons life throws at us that are not really seasons at all, they are years. Caregiving for aging parents while still raising kids of your own, the sandwich generation squeeze nobody warns you about. Divorce after decades together. The death of a spouse or partner. These chapters do not wrap up in a few months, and nothing ages us faster than grief.
Grief is not only the loss of a person. It is also the loss of a version of life we thought we could have, or should have had. That deserves its own space and its own conversation, and we are going to unpack it right here on #Sooo60ish, one season at a time.
Often, right alongside these seasons, comes a real estate decision too. Downsizing after the kids leave, selling a parent’s estate, splitting a home after a silver divorce. These moves come loaded with more than logistics, and I go deeper on all of it in here and have a Free “Next Chapter” home guide for you as well! Click here to grab that!
Don’t Underestimate a Wagging Tail
Here is a pro-aging move nobody puts on the fancy list. Get a pet. My two, Bennie and Brody, are two of the best decisions I have made for my own stress levels and my own joy, no procedure required. Companionship lowers stress, gets you up and moving, and gives you something to care for that loves you back unconditionally. A dog, a cat, whatever fits your life and your space, it counts.
I order most of their food and supplies through Chewy, and their Sleek Eeze brush is a staple around here if you need a place to start.
A Few More Things to Try
Try something new in your own city or community this year. Plan a long weekend, even a short one, just to reset. And declutter your home. Nothing ages a space, or a person, like a big fat mess sitting in every corner.
And do not underestimate a mood boost from your closet. Lilly Pulitzer is my go-to for seasonal finds that make me smile no matter what kind of day I am having. Never underestimate the power of a great print.
This is Sooo60ish. Pro-aging, your lane, your rules. More to come, including that friendship deep dive I promised.
#SoooBoca™ is my mix of South Florida lifestyle, pro-aging fashion, beauty, wellness, and life chapters real estate. Come hang out with me on Instagram.
Shop This Post
- Peptide Wrinkle Cream
- Vitamin C and Argan Oil Combo
- Dermaplaner
- Laura Geller Serum Blush Tint
- Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
- Shiatsu Foot Massager
- Garnier Anti Eye Depuffer
- Total Beets
- Sleek Eeze Dog Brush
- Lilly Pulitzer
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About Michele Bellisari
Michele Bellisari is the woman behind #SoooBoca® Lifestyle & Media and #Sooo60ish, sharing life in Boca Raton, South Florida & Beyond with a decidedly pro-aging point of view. Lets collaborate! Click here to get started!
A longtime Boca Raton local, Michele shares the things she genuinely loves, from food, travel and things to do to fashion, beauty, wellness, home, family and navigating life in your 60s. #Sooo60ish is all about embracing this chapter, trying new things, taking care of yourself and having some fun along the way.
Michele is also a Realtor with Real Broker, LLC, with more than 22 years in real estate and a special focus on the life chapters that often come with a move, including relocation, empty nesting, 55+ living, downsizing, probate and inherited properties.
Follow along at #SoooBoca® and #Sooo60ish for a little South Florida sunshine, real life, real estate and whatever comes next.
Thinking about a move? Whether you’re buying, selling, relocating to South Florida or figuring out what your next chapter looks like, Michele would love to help.
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Some posts may contain affiliate links and I will earn a commission. Lifestyle, financial, legal, medical and real estate information is shared for general informational purposes and should be independently verified with the appropriate professional.
